The Incredible Sinking Lorelais, Revisited
by CoffeeDrinker
Summary: Two-part story revisiting the end of episode 4x14, picking up the morning after Luke comforted Lorelai on the bench.
1. Chapter 1

**The Incredible Sinking Lorelais, Revisited**

**Chapter 1**

. . . . .

. . . . .

Lorelai's eyes fluttered open, and she found herself staring up at a ceiling she didn't recognize. She was groggy, her head was pounding, and she felt sick to her stomach.

She reached out and felt her immediate surroundings. She was definitely in a bed - that she was sure of. Whose bed, however, was the question.

She sat up and looked around, and realized that she was in Luke's apartment in his spare bed. She pushed off the blanket, happily discovering that she was fully dressed in her previous night's outfit.

She heard noises in the kitchen that she assumed was Luke, and she climbed out of the bed. She walked slowly across the cold hardwood floor toward the kitchen, and found Luke at the counter cutting up some fruit.

"Hey," she groggily greeted him.

Luke turned around, surprised that she was up. "Hey. Sorry, did I wake you?"

Lorelai shook her head, and she glanced around the apartment before looking back at him. "So, stupid question, but... what the hell am I doing here?"

"Yeah, figured you wouldn't really remember much." He poured her a glass of water from a pitcher, and set it down on the table. "Here, sit."

Lorelai sat down at the table and took a sip of the water. "What happened last night?"

Luke sat down across from her. "After you canceled our dinner plans, we grabbed some food at the diner, and then you didn't want to go home, so you asked if we could hang out up here for a little while."

"I did?"

"Yeah. And then you downed half a bottle of tequila."

Lorelai grimaced. "That explains this feeling I'm having right now."

"I'm gonna make you my special hangover shake," Luke said, gesturing to the blender and the fruit out on the counter behind him. "That might help."

Lorelai nodded appreciatively, and then glanced over at Luke's bed, and then nervously back at Luke. "So, just so I'm not wondering this forever, I'm gonna be blunt. Did we...um... you know... do anything?"

Luke's eyes widened. "Of course not."

"Oh, thank God." Lorelai exhaled a sigh of relief, and then quickly apologetically added, "Not that I find you repulsive or anything, I didn't mean it like that. It's just that I'm kind of seeing someone and I'm pretty sure it's still considered cheating even if you can't remember it happening."

"I know what you meant," Luke replied. "And I'm seeing someone, too, remember?"

Lorelai confusedly stared at him for a moment, and then she finally recalled, "Oh, right. Nicole. The wife."

"Yup. The wife," he replied, uncomfortably glancing down at the table.

Lorelai noticed a reaction in his eyes at the mention of Nicole. "Uh, everything okay there? I mean, I don't wanna pry, but..."

"It's fine," he quickly replied.

Lorelai cocked her head to the side. "Luke..."

Luke sighed and then shrugged a little as he admitted, "We've been going through something, I don't really know what it is. She's been acting weird, we've been bickering a lot lately. And now she's in Boston... _for work_," he said, making air-quotes with his fingers for those last two words.

Lorelai frowned. "You think something's going on?"

Luke shrugged. "I don't know."

"I'm sorry," Lorelai said sympathetically. "Really."

"Forget it," Luke said, and getting back to the original question at hand, he added, "So, no, nothing happened here last night. We talked, we drank... well, mostly _you_ talked and drank, but I listened and had a beer or two. And then you fell asleep on the couch."

Lorelai looked over at the couch, and then at the bed she'd woken up in. "And then you carried me to the bed?"

"I thought it'd be more comfortable," Luke said. "Figured you'd be feeling crappy enough without having a sore back to go with it."

Lorelai smiled. "That was sweet, thank you. I'm sorry if I ruined your plans for the evening."

"You _were_ my plans for the evening," Luke reminded her. "We had dinner plans, remember?"

"Oh, right," Lorelai nodded.

Luke cleared his throat before hesitantly continuing. "Dinner plans you made because you wanted to ask me something." He paused a second. "Something about borrowing some money?"

Lorelai groaned and covered her face with her hands. "Ugh, I don't wanna talk about it, Luke. I'm sorry, I shouldn't put you in that position. Please, forget that I ever mentioned it."

"You want me to forget that you cried in my arms last night and told me that you're months away from achieving the dream you've had for years and might have to postpone it because you don't have enough money?"

Lorelai kept her face hidden as she meekly replied, "Yes, please."

"And even though I have the money you need and could help you avoid having to postpone that dream, you would still rather me just forget all about it?"

Lorelai dropped her hands from her face to her lap. "Again, yes, that would be great, thanks."

Luke rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Not happening." He reached for an envelope resting against the napkin holder on the center of the table, and he slid it over to her. "Here."

Lorelai eyed the envelope, but didn't reach for it. "Luke, what is that?"

"It's what you needed," he replied. "Take it."

Lorelai exhaled a sigh. "Luke, no. I didn't even get to officially ask you."

"Well, now you don't have to," Luke replied. "Plus, you know I don't like official things anyway."

Lorelai looked down at the envelope. She needed that money desperately, she wanted it, she had every intention of asking him for it... but now that it was right in front of her, she felt guilty. She felt like a burden to her friend for asking for it, and she felt ashamed for even needing it in the first place.

Luke noticed her hesitation and he pushed the envelope a little closer to her. "Take it. I want you to have it. I want you to use it and finish that inn and make your dream come true, okay?" he said calmly.

"I feel bad," she admitted. "I feel stupid that I couldn't handle this without begging for help."

"Hey, sometimes dreams are so big that you can't reach 'em on your own," Luke told her. "It doesn't mean you're a failure or not good at what you're doing. Sometimes you need some help from a friend who just wants to see you succeed, who wants to see you happy." He tapped the envelope. "So, here."

Lorelai's lips curved into a smile, and suddenly felt overly emotional as tears formed in the corner of her eyes. "Thank you," she replied in practically a whisper, and she sniffled a little. "Really, thank you."

"You're welcome."

"I'm gonna pay you back, with interest," Lorelai promised him.

Luke waved her off. "Don't worry about that right now."

"I know you don't like _official_ things, but I'm going to have something official drawn up for this loan, Luke," Lorelai told him. "Something we'll both sign."

"Okay, fine, whatever, do whatever you want." Luke stood up from the table. "I'm gonna make you a shake."

"Thanks." Lorelai glanced around. "Do you happen to know where my purse is? I wanna check my cell."

Luke gestured to the coat rack by the door. "Hanging up."

Lorelai glanced toward the door, and saw her pink coat and purse hanging neatly on the rack. She walked over to it and fished her cell phone from her purse.

She flipped it open and saw a missed call from Rory, and she listened to the voicemail as she walked back over to the kitchen table. When it was done, she flipped the phone closed with a sigh.

"Everything okay?" Luke asked, glancing back at her over his shoulder.

"Yeah, Rory and I just keep missing each other," Lorelai said. "One massive game of phone tag."

"Oh, sorry. You mentioned last night you guys haven't really seen or talked much lately. I'm sure that's been tough."

"Yeah, I miss her." Lorelai gestured toward the door of the bathroom. "That's the bathroom, right?"

"Yup."

Lorelai disappeared into the bathroom for a few minutes. She washed her face and tidied up her messy hair a bit, and brushed her teeth with some toothpaste on her finger.

When she walked back out, Luke was gone, but the apartment door was open and there was a milkshake on the table in front of her chair. She sat down and started drinking the shake, hoping it would do the trick and make her feel better.

A minute later, Luke walked back into the apartment carrying a mug of coffee.

"There you are," Lorelai greeted him. "Thought you were kidnapped. However, that didn't stop me from sitting down and quietly enjoying this shake."

"Sorry, wanted to grab this for you from downstairs." He set the coffee on the table in front of her.

Lorelai smiled up at him. "Thanks. You're good at taking care of hangover victims."

"Yup, special skill of mine." He sat down with her and started eating a banana. He eyed her for a few moments, watching her alternate between the coffee and the shake. "So, can I ask you something?" Luke asked her.

"You've earned it."

"Last night, the way you were talking, the way you were so upset... it seemed like a lot of stuff had been building up for awhile and you finally just exploded," Luke said.

"Is that an observation or a question?" she asked.

"_That_ was an observation," Luke replied. "But here's my question... why are you keeping that stuff in? Why haven't you told Sookie or Rory or hell, this guy you're seeing, what you've been dealing with? You need to let it out."

Lorelai let out a little laugh. "Why? Well, um, let's see... maybe because it's humiliating? Maybe because I was hoping I could solve it all on my own without having to suck other people into my own depressing issues? Maybe because I figured the less people who know I'm a failure, the better?"

"Stop. You're not a failure," he said sternly. "Needing help does not make you a failure. You think I started this diner with no help? You think Miss Patty started her dance studio with no help? Or Mia started the Independence Inn all on her own with no help at all? Come on, Lorelai."

"Well, I appreciate that, but still... having to admit to my business partner that she's not pulling her weight all the time, or to tell my daughter who admires me so much that I'm struggling, or to admit to the guy I'm dating that I'm not as together as he thinks I am and I'm literally falling apart... not ideal conversation topics."

"I get that," Luke replied with a nod. "And I'm just bringing it up because... well, if you don't have anyone to talk to, _I'm_ here. If you start getting frustrated or overwhelmed or whatever, and you need someone to rant to or to unload on, come talk to me about it, okay? I'll help you figure things out... preferably before you have another meltdown."

Lorelai smiled at him gratefully. "You're pretty nice, you know that?"

Luke returned the smile. "Sometimes."

Lorelai reached over and patted his hand appreciatively. "Thank you, Luke."

He held her gaze for a moment before softly replying, "You're welcome."

. . . . .

. . . . .

Half an hour later, Lorelai pulled up to her house and walked inside. She was surprised to find Lane on the couch reading a magazine, and then remembered Rory had mentioned Lane would be crashing at the house for a few days.

"Lane, hey," Lorelai greeted her. "Everything okay here?"

Lane nodded. "Yeah, everything's good. Were you at your boyfriend's?"

Lorelai hesitated a moment, realizing it was easier to lie than to explain otherwise. "Yeah, sorry, I should've called to tell you."

"It's okay."

"You find everything you need?"

"Yeah, I'm good. Thanks again for letting me stay here. It won't be for long, I promise. I'm going apartment hunting today with my band before my shift at the diner, so hopefully we'll find something."

"No rush," Lorelai told her. "It's nice having some company." She gestured toward the stairs. "I'm gonna go take a shower, and maybe lie down for awhile, I have a headache."

Lorelai headed upstairs, threw her purse and coat on her bed, and headed into the bathroom. She popped a couple of Advil, took a long hot shower, then threw on her robe and went back to her bedroom. She shut the door, collapsed on the bed, and closed her eyes.

. . . . .

. . . . .

When she woke up, Lorelai glanced over at the clock and realized she'd been asleep for a few hours. It was almost lunch time. She climbed out of bed and got dressed, then grabbed her cell phone from her purse and headed downstairs.

She checked the machine to find another message from Rory, and she immediately called her back. She was shocked when Rory answered, happy to finally connect with her, and they chatted for awhile.

While they were talking, the call waiting beeped, and Lorelai put Rory on hold to answer the other line. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's me," Luke replied.

"Luke, hi," she replied. "What's up?"

"Just wanted to check in... you feeling okay?"

"Uh, that depends... mentally, physically, or emotionally?" Lorelai joked.

"All of the above," Luke replied. "Let's start with physically... your hangover go away?"

"Yes, thanks to a combination of the special Danes milkshake, some Advil, and a long nap, my body doesn't seem to hate me now as much as it did earlier," Lorelai replied.

"Good, good," he replied. "What about the other stuff?"

"Feeling much better today than last night on the bench, that's for sure," Lorelai confirmed. "Thanks again for everything, really... you've been my own personal therapist for the past 16 hours. Not to mention you singlehandedly kept my dream alive."

"Anytime."

"Which reminds me, I still have to call Sookie and let her know about our new investor. We might even hang a picture of you in the lobby."

"Please don't," Luke replied dryly.

Lorelai smiled into the phone. "Okay, fine." She paused a moment, listening to the background noise on his side of the phone. "Are you driving?"

"Yeah, running an errand," Luke replied. "I better go, I'm almost there. Just wanted to check in, make sure you were alive."

"Appreciate it," Lorelai replied. "Maybe I'll see you later at the diner for dinner."

"Okay. See ya."

Lorelai hung up with Luke and returned to her phone call with Rory. When they were done chatting, Lorelai called Sookie to fill her in on the money, and to apologize for yesterday's argument. They talked things out, and then Lorelai went to the kitchen to get something for lunch.

While she was eating, she thought about yesterday's meal at her parents' house. Being called out by Gran at the table in front of her parents and Jason had been a hard blow to her ego. She felt humiliated and angry, and disappointed in herself for the struggles she'd been having with the inn.

Another thought popped into her head... anyone at that table yesterday could see how upset she was. She couldn't hide it, it was clear on her face and in her demeanor. And yet she hadn't heard from anyone to check up on her. She honestly wouldn't have expected Emily and Richard to do so, but the fact that Jason hadn't called to see if she was okay was a little disconcerting.

She started running through possible reasons in her head. Maybe he was busy and hadn't had a few minutes to call her, or maybe he was embarrassed for her and wasn't sure how to approach the topic. Maybe he thought it would be easier if he didn't bring it up. Or maybe he didn't actually realize how upset she'd been.

It started making her think about the qualities of a long-term partner. Yes, she wanted physical attraction, a shared sense of humor, some common interests to talk about; but she needed a partner who could take care of her emotional needs. Who recognized on their own when she was down or hurting or just not herself. During the past few months with Jason, she'd noticed that was the one category he most often fell flat in.

She needed someone who could give her the emotional support that Luke had been giving her. When she'd met him the night before to cancel their dinner plans, he'd noticed right away that things were not okay. And he asked her about it, he listened to her, and he comforted her. He gave her encouraging pep talks to try to make her feel better. He took care of her last night and this morning at his apartment, and then called her at home to check up on her. That's the type of support she needed from a partner.

She recalled the night before that she had said to Luke that sometimes she wished she was married, that she had a partner to pick up the slack. She'd been thinking it more lately, having so much going on with the inn. And even though she was currently dating Jason, she honestly couldn't see herself spending the rest of her life with him. He wasn't the one.

Lorelai finished lunch, made a few calls for work, and then, with a heavy sigh, picked up the phone and called Jason.

"This is Jason," he answered after the first ring.

"Hey, it's me," Lorelai greeted him.

"Hi," Jason replied. "What's going on?"

"Well, I'm still in shock from yesterday's lunch, otherwise known as World War 3, but other than that, just peachy."

"Yeah, that was intense, right?" Jason replied. "Your grandmother makes my father look like Mr. Rogers. I've met with clients who I'm pretty sure might have been in the mafia who were warmer toward me than she was."

"Yeah, that's Trix for you. She speaks her mind." Lorelai took a deep breath. "So, listen, do you have some time this afternoon to meet for a coffee?"

. . . . .

. . . . .

That evening, Lorelai walked into the diner and went to talk to Lane at the counter. "Hey, Lane."

"Lorelai, hey," she greeted her excitedly. "Guess what! We found an apartment just down the street! Zach and Brian and I are gonna split the rent."

Lorelai gasped. "Whoa, that was fast! Congratulations."

"I'm so excited," Lane replied. "You can't imagine the stress one has when they're homeless."

"Oh, I can definitely imagine it," Lorelai confirmed. "I'm happy for you guys."

"Thanks."

Lorelai glanced around the diner. "Is Luke around?"

Lane winced a little and pointed toward the ceiling. "He's upstairs."

Lorelai narrowed her eyes at Lane's reaction. "Why the flinchy face? What's wrong?"

"Well, he came in about an hour ago and he looked upset," she said, lowering her voice. "He asked Caesar and I if we could close up for him later, then went up to his apartment, and I haven't seen him since. "

Lorelai raised an eyebrow. "Hm, I wonder what that's about. I'm gonna go check on him."

Lorelai made her way upstairs and knocked lightly on Luke's apartment door.

"What?" Luke yelled from inside. Snapped was more like it. Boy, he sounded angry.

"Um, Luke, it's me," Lorelai hesitantly called. "Are you okay?"

She could hear him slowly walking toward the door, and he unlocked it, opened it, then turned to walk back toward the couch without saying a word. She walked in and shut the door, then headed toward the couch.

There were a couple of beer bottles on the coffee table. "Oh, I see, it's happy hour," Lorelai remarked. "Can I partake in that, or did you drink everything yourself?"

"Check the fridge," Luke replied, pointing toward the kitchen.

Lorelai grabbed a beer from the fridge and walked over to the couch. As she sat down next to him, she noticed a packet of important looking papers on the table next to the beer bottles and wondered if they were the reason for his mood. "What's that?" she asked, gesturing to them.

Luke exhaled a deep breath and rubbed his forehead. "It's the divorce papers we had drawn up before. Finally gonna sign 'em."

Lorelai's eyes widened. "What happened?"

"We're getting divorced, that's what happened," he replied. He took a long swig of his beer and set it back on the table.

Lorelai turned on the couch to face him, crisscrossing her legs in front of her. "What happened, Luke? Talk to me. You have something big going on, and you need someone to talk to... let me return the favor, please? You listened to me last night _and_ this morning, let me be the listener tonight."

Luke was quiet for a minute before he finally decided to open up to her. "I told you Nicole was up in Boston, right?"

"Yeah, _for work_," Lorelai replied, air-quoting the phrase as he'd done earlier.

"Yeah, so I went over to our place in Litchfield and I was kind of snooping around, looking for clues, you know, because I've had this feeling that something's been going on," Luke explained. "She's been acting weird lately."

"And you found something?" she asked, and then grimaced in preparation of his response.

"I found this metal box in the top of her closet hidden under some blankets," Luke replied. "It had a little lock on it, so I figured there was probably something in there she didn't want me to see. So I pried it open with a screwdriver." He quickly added, "I know, I know, it's an invasion of privacy and all that, but my gut was telling me something was up."

"And what did you and your gut find?"

"There were some important documents in there, birth certificate, stuff like that," Luke replied. "But I also found a couple of cards from some guy named Victor, and the most recent one was dated a few weeks ago and talked about what he couldn't wait to do to her in Boston."

Lorelai gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. "Oh, no, Luke."

"And another card that talked about what sounds like a very active night in a New York hotel room last month," Luke replied, and then he sighed softly. "There were a few more, but I didn't read them. I had all the information I needed."

"Luke, I'm so sorry," Lorelai told him, shaking her head disappointedly. "What did you do?"

"I called her. And of course she didn't answer, I didn't expect her to. Why would you answer your husband's phone call when you're out of town with your lover? So I left her a loud, angry message telling her I knew everything and that it was over, that I'd have these divorce papers signed before she got back."

"Did she call you back?"

"Yup, she did." Luke took a long swig of his beer, and then went over to the fridge to get a new one. Lorelai waited with bated breath for him to continue the story, but didn't want to rush him. As he slowly walked back to the couch, he asked, "And do you wanna hear the best part?"

"Um... yes?" Lorelai hesitantly replied.

"She didn't even try to deny anything," Luke replied, shaking his head angrily. "She said I wasn't fully in the relationship, so I left her no choice but to look elsewhere."

Lorelai groaned. "I can't believe she blamed you for _her_ cheating." She reached over and patted his leg comfortingly. "I'm really sorry, Luke... you don't deserve that."

Luke didn't respond, he just nodded and sipped his beer.

"Look, I know I wasn't Nicole's biggest fan," Lorelai continued, "but I never saw this coming. I never imagined that's how this would eventually end."

Luke looked over at her. "But you did think it would _eventually_ end, didn't you? You didn't think we were right together, right?"

Lorelai shrugged a little, but felt uncomfortable answering honestly.

"You can say it, I'm not gonna be mad," Luke told her. "You were right anyhow."

Lorelai shrugged again. "I guess, yeah, it didn't always seem like you two were a perfect match, but I didn't expect Lifetime movie adultery drama to be involved."

"Yeah, me either." Luke squeezed his fist tightly and dropped it hard on the couch cushion beside him. "God, I'm so stupid. We should've gotten divorced the second we got off that damn cruise ship."

"You're not stupid," Lorelai countered. "You were trying to make a relationship work, a relationship that you saw potential in. Isn't it better that you tried and realized you were wrong than to always wonder if it could have been something really special?"

Luke took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly before looking over at her. "I guess."

Lorelai took a sip of her beer. "Listen, do you want me to leave you alone? I understand if you don't feel like company right now."

Luke shrugged at her. "I don't mind," he said. "You can stay if you want."

Lorelai smiled. "Okay." She was relieved he let her stay. She didn't want to leave him alone after the day he'd had, she wanted to be there in case he needed to talk. Not to mention, she'd been having her own hellish 24 hours and could really use some company herself.

Lorelai relaxed against the back of the couch and propped her feet up on the coffee table. She nestled her beer between her knees and folded her arms across her chest. "So, I'm not comparing my situation to yours by any means, but if it makes you feel any better, you're not the only one on this couch whose relationship ended today."

Luke's interest was piqued and he raised an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah? What happened?" he asked, happy for the distraction from his own failed relationship. There was also a tinge of guilt for feeling relieved to hear the guy was out of the picture.

"Well, I'd been seeing this guy for a few months, and he had some quirks, but overall, things were pretty good. He was funny... smart... nice. Even if he did make me sleep in the guest room."

Luke narrowed his eyes. "What?"

"He has insomnia," Lorelai explained. "He has to be alone to sleep."

Luke's eyes widened. "Wow."

"Yeah. Anyway, I did have a good time with him, but there was one major check box he didn't hit on my list of partner qualities, and I realized he wasn't ever gonna hit it. And like you were talking about your gut before... I knew in my gut that he wasn't really _the one_, you know?"

"Gotta follow your gut," Luke said, nodding. "So... you ended it?"

"Yup. I met him at a coffee shop and told him I wanted to break up."

"How'd he take it?"

"He clearly wasn't on the same page, so it came as kind of a shock for him."

Luke watched her for a moment before asking, "And what about _you_? How are you taking it?"

"A little sad," she admitted. "I mean, I know it was the right decision, but it's always sad to say goodbye to someone in your life."

"Yeah, it is." Luke held out his beer toward her. "Well, here's to our next relationships turning out better than the last ones."

Lorelai clinked her beer bottle against his. "Cheers." They each took a drink, and then Lorelai asked, "You hungry? I haven't eaten dinner yet."

"Not really, but I can run down and make you something," Luke offered.

Lorelai shook her head and stood up from the couch. "No, you stay here, take the night off from cooking. I'll go get us something for dinner, because even if you're not hungry now, you're gonna need to soak up that alcohol with something."

"It's just beer, it's not heavy liquor," Luke said with a shrug.

"Uh, the _just beer_ defense doesn't apply when you've had six of them," Lorelai pointed out. "By the way, you're almost out of it, so I'll get some more of that, too, and then we'll have a good old-fashioned wallowing night."

Luke looked confused. "What the hell does that mean?"

"It means we're gonna eat and drink and hang out and commiserate over our crappy days," Lorelai explained.

Luke raised an eyebrow. "Wow, can't tell you how great that sounds," he said dryly.

Lorelai smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "I'll be back."

. . . . .

. . . . .

**To be continued...**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

. . . . .

. . . . .

Thirty minutes later, Lorelai returned to the apartment. "I'll have you know that even though a wallowing night means junk food, I still picked up a salad because I know you like it," she announced as she walked through the door. She glanced around and didn't see Luke. "And apparently I'm talking to myself."

She put her things on the kitchen table and looked toward the bedroom area. She noticed the bathroom door was closed and called, "I'm back!"

Luke opened the bathroom door and stuck his head out. "Okay, be right out," he said, and closed the door again.

She had gotten a glimpse of his wet hair and a towel hanging over his shoulders against his bare chest, and assumed he'd taken a shower while she was gone. She started rummaging around the kitchen for plates and silverware.

Luke came out of the bathroom and immediately smelled the food. She'd gotten pizza, garlic bread, and salad, along with some more beer, as promised. She'd also picked up some ice cream that she stuck in the freezer. They made their plates and started eating on the couch.

"I see you changed into wallowing clothes," Lorelai said.

After his shower, Luke had opted for sweatpants and a t-shirt instead of the usual jeans and plaid. "Yeah, more comfortable," he replied.

"Can we watch TV while we eat?" Lorelai asked.

Luke handed her the remote from the side table. "Knock yourself out."

Lorelai turned it on and flipped through the channels trying to find something to watch. "Okay, you have like 7 channels. What the hell is this about?"

"I don't watch a lot of TV," Luke replied with a shrug. "I don't need a lot of channels."

Lorelai gave up and turned the TV off. "Okay, this is not working out, we'll just talk. Do you wanna talk _about_ our bad days or _distract_ from them?"

"Distract."

"Okay, let me think," Lorelai said, pondering for a moment as she took a bite of pizza. She chewed and swallowed, and then said, "Oh, I finally caught up with Rory today. We had a nice long chat on the phone and got to sufficiently catch up on our lives. It was so nice to finally have a conversation with her."

The smile on her face while she was talking about Rory was enough to make Luke smile. "Good. Glad you guys stopped that phone tag."

"She's been going through some things," Lorelai said. "The stresses of school, you know? So we were able to talk that out a little."

"I bet it helped her sharing that stuff with you," Luke said. "You were probably able to calm her down, make her feel better."

"I tried."

"I'm sure you succeeded." Luke took a bite of pizza, and then drank some beer. "Anything else not depressing happen today?"

"Hmm," she mulled it over. "Lane found her own apartment. She's gonna be sharing it with the two guys in her band."

Luke's eyes widened. "Wow. Mrs. Kim is gonna have a stroke."

Lorelai smiled. "Probably, yes."

"Did you go to the inn today?"

Lorelai shook her head. "No, but I did some stuff at home... made some calls, checked on some orders, did some research on horses."

Lorelai filled him in on some of their plans for the inn as they finished eating. They cleaned up, and then Lorelai went to use the bathroom. She returned to the couch, and Luke had opened them up a couple of fresh beers.

Lorelai sat down next to him with a heavy sigh. "Man, what a day, huh?"

"Yup." Luke took a drink, and then said, "Thanks for hanging out tonight. It's been a good distraction."

"You're welcome. Good distraction for me, too."

They were quiet for a minute, both randomly staring off into space, thinking about things, and then Luke looked over at her. "What was the check box the guy wasn't hitting?"

"Huh?"

"You were talking about the guy you dumped," Luke said. "You said there was one major thing he didn't hit."

"Oh, right," Lorelai replied.

"You don't have to tell me," he quickly added. "I was just wondering."

"No, it's okay," Lorelai casually replied. "He struggled with the basic stuff sometimes... you know, like being sensitive, a good listener, emotionally supportive... even just recognizing when I _needed_ him to be supportive. Basically, how you've been the past 24 hours - I need a guy who can do that, who's there when I need him, who goes the extra step to make sure I'm okay."

"We are a rare lot," Luke said.

Lorelai smiled, and then continued, "For example, he didn't check up on me after the blow up at my parents' house. He saw it happen, and the only comment he made today was about how my grandmother made _him_ feel. I'm the one that bared the brunt of her wrath, he saw how upset I was, and I didn't hear from him today until_ I_ called _him_." Lorelai scoffed. "I mean, even if he was busy, he could've taken 5 seconds to call and say, 'I'm busy, but I know you went through something rough, and I'm thinking of you.' It's a simple thing, but sometimes those are the most important things. I mean, hell, _you_ called me today to check in. That's the extra step I need my own partner to take, you know?"

Luke's eyes were wide. "Wait, he was _there_?" he exclaimed. "Your boyfriend watched your grandmother say horrible things to you and did nothing about it?"

Lorelai was surprised at his reaction. "What was he supposed to do, knock her out? He couldn't do anything. I couldn't do anything either... I sat there and took it while he looked uncomfortably down at his plate."

Luke shook his head as he adamantly declared, "No, no, that's not what you do when your girl is being attacked. That's unbelievable. What's wrong with that guy?"

"Okay, what would _you_ have done?" Lorelai asked him. "If we were dating, and you were sitting at a table with my parents and my grandmother, and someone started going in on me... what would you do?"

"First of all, I'd step in even if we weren't dating," he replied. "And at the very least, I'd take your hand, say 'excuse us', and get you the hell out of there. If not out of the house, then at least out of the room, out of the line of fire." He rolled his eyes, adding, "You don't let someone you care about just sit there and take it."

Lorelai nodded in agreement, a small smile on her lips at how strongly he felt about it. "Well, next time I anticipate an ambush, maybe I'll bring you as my wingman."

"Maybe you should." Luke took a drink of his beer and then put it on the coffee table. He rubbed his hands together. "So, this guy's gone now. Let's figure out what kind of guy you need next."

"Oh, this should be good," Lorelai said with a smirk. "Partially-drunk Luke summing up my relationship needs. Go ahead."

"Well, obviously, he needs to be tall," Luke said, and then he gestured up and down toward her. "Because you're tall."

Lorelai laughed. "Okay, good start. Tall is good, yeah."

"And you want someone who can go along with your quirky stuff," he said.

"By quirky stuff, you mean _my personality_?" Lorelai suggested.

"Yeah, that," Luke agreed. "You need a guy who gets it, who gets your jokes, who has a sense of humor."

"Okay, got it. What else?"

Luke ran his hands through his hair and leaned back against the couch. "Let's see. He has to be smart, because you're smart. Someone who doesn't get intimidated by your independence, by your drive, or your accomplishments. Someone who knows you have goals and supports them no matter what."

Lorelai nodded. "Okay, good stuff."

"And someone who has a sensitive side, but also someone who can protect you when you need it," Luke said. "Someone who stands up for you."

Lorelai exhaled a soft sigh. "Well, all good qualities of the perfect man. The trouble is, where to find him."

"I'd try putting an ad in the paper," Luke suggested.

Lorelai smiled. "Very funny." She finished up her beer and put the empty bottle on the table. "Okay, now your turn."

"My turn for what?"

"For me to tell you what kind of girl your next impromptu wife should be."

Luke smiled and beckoned her toward him with both hands. "Go ahead, bring it."

"Well, you tend to be a bit of a grump, and one might think you should go for someone who's also a grump, but then you'll just drag each other deeper and deeper into negativity," Lorelai said. "So you need someone who's _not_ a grump, someone light and bubbly and fun, but also doesn't mind your grumpiness and your cynicism and your rants. Someone who finds it funny and can rant along with you."

"Oh, yeah, lots of women out there really embrace grumpy," Luke said, rolling his eyes. "Should be easy to find."

"You also need someone who likes to eat, since you're a cook," Lorelai said, and she glanced around the room. "And someone who doesn't mind the smell of beef because that's kind of what your apartment smells like."

Luke narrowed his eyes. "It does?"

"Kind of, yeah, it must be wafting up from the diner," Lorelai said, and she grinned. "It's pretty awesome."

Luke let out a little laugh. "Okay. What else?"

"You need someone who likes staying in and relaxing with you away from people, but can also lure you out of the house once in awhile so you don't turn totally anti-social," she said. "And someone who can go out and have her own fun without having to rely on you for it all the time."

"So I want her to realize she has more fun without me?" Luke asked.

Lorelai smiled. "No, not _more_ fun. Just someone who lets you have your space when you need it and doesn't get mad at you for it. Someone who does her own thing when you need to do yours."

"Ah, got it."

As he sat there listening to her describe what she thought was the perfect woman for him, he wished she could see that she was describing herself. She fell into all of the categories _he_ needed and he fell into all of the ones _she_ needed.

A sudden rush of possibly-beer-fueled courage told him that maybe he should point it out.

And then he talked himself out of it, realized that it would be crazy, that it might make things weird.

And then he said screw it, I don't care. He'd spent years trying to pretend that he only saw her as a friend, that he'd be okay if things never went beyond that, and now, he decided, he was done with that. It was time to stop hiding.

Luke moved a little closer to her, just a scooch along the couch. "So, here's the big question," he said, leaning in toward her. "Where am I possibly going to find a fun, bubbly woman who likes to eat, likes the smell of beef, doesn't mind staying in once in awhile, and enjoys a good rant? You know anyone like that?"

And it was at that very moment that the mood in the apartment started to shift.

The question was delivered with a pointed look that Lorelai picked up on right away. He was referring to her, she got that much. His voice was calm, and his eyes were staring at her with warmth, with sincerity. It caught her off guard, and she felt a lump in her throat as she tried to figure out how to respond.

Lorelai finally shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't know. I guess the same place that I'd find a tall, smart, sensitive, protective man with a sense of humor who supports me no matter what," she said softly. "There's gotta be a store somewhere around here where we can find our perfect mates."

"Maybe we don't need a store," Luke replied, and she swallowed hard when he leaned in a little closer to her. She smelled amazing, he thought to himself. He didn't know whether it was her shampoo or perfume or laundry detergent, or all of the above, but it was amazing.

"What are you doing?" she whispered.

"I don't know," he replied, resting his hand on her knee. "But you smell good."

Lorelai smiled and cocked her head to the side. "Luke... come on."

"Come on what?" he asked, pulling back slightly.

"Your marriage just ended today. You're drunk, you're confused, you're -"

"I'm not confused about anything, Lorelai," he interrupted. "And I'm not drunk... not completely."

"Okay, then, what are you trying to tell me here?"

"You know exactly what I'm telling you," Luke told her, shaking his head. "Don't play that game."

"You're the one playing games," she countered. "You're not saying anything, you're just... _insinuating_. If you have something you wanna tell me, then tell me, Luke."

"Okay, fine... I'm interested, okay!?" he exclaimed a little louder than intended, and then he exhaled a sigh and lowered his voice. "Sorry. But there, I said it. I'm interested, I've _always_ been interested, and I'm tired of pretending that I'm _not_ interested just because I'm too afraid that you _aren't_, so now... hell... I'm putting myself out there and saying, yeah, I'm interested."

Luke stood up from the couch and started to walk away, and Lorelai followed him with her eyes. "Where are you going? You don't just say that and walk away."

Luke spun around to face her. "Well, it's either get up and walk away, or sit there and watch you try to figure out how to gently let me down, and that didn't sound like much fun."

Lorelai stood up and walked over to him near the bed. He tensed up, and his heart was racing so fast. He couldn't remember the last time he felt so nervous about what someone was about to say.

Lorelai stood in front of him, and with both hands, gently tucked her hair behind her ears. She folded her arms across her chest and asked, "Why would you think I'd be letting you down?"

Luke wasn't expecting that question, and he blinked a few times as he processed it. "Um, because you've never shown an interest in being anything more than friends?"

"Neither have you," she pointed out.

Luke rolled his eyes a little. "Oh, come on. I'm sure you could tell."

Lorelai scoffed. "I was supposed to just _tell_ that you were interested? Was I supposed to become a mind-reader and just figure out your intentions without you having to try to tell me yourself?"

Luke nodded. "Yes. That would've made my life much easier."

Lorelai smiled at his response, and he was surprised himself that he was still able to be quippy in his current state of extreme anxiety.

She glanced down at the floor for a few seconds, exhaled a deep breath and then looked at him. She just stared at him for a moment, silent, lost in his blue eyes. He looked different to her... more vulnerable. It was a side she didn't see often. She liked it.

"Why were you with Nicole?" Lorelai asked.

Again, another question he wasn't expecting. "Why? For the same reason you were with whatever that guy's name is. I liked her, I saw potential... isn't that what dating's about?"

"Yeah."

"And maybe Nicole was right, maybe I wasn't fully in the relationship," Luke continued, suddenly feeling chatty. "I guess sometimes it felt like I was maybe settling for what I could get instead of what I wanted. And I know that's not fair to her, I know that."

"It's still not a reason to cheat," Lorelai interjected. "Whether you were fully in it or not, she could've broken it off instead of cheating."

"Right," he agreed.

Lorelai glanced down at her hands and fidgeted with her fingers. "You know, like I said before, I was comparing you to Jason earlier today... " She looked up and added, "That's the guy I was seeing, Jason."

Luke nodded, waiting for her to continue.

"You were the baseline... the gold standard to which I was like, I need a guy who can do _that_," Lorelai told him. "A guy who's supportive and caring and can understand my emotional needs, who can sit and listen and comfort me when I need it. And I didn't think Jason could do that... there was a hole there. A hole you would've easily been able to fill." She cringed and added, "Sorry, dirty."

Luke smiled and joked, "So, basically, you dumped him because he's not me."

Lorelai smiled. "Yeah, sort of. You definitely checked off the box he couldn't."

His anxiety was fading away. She wasn't freaking out, she wasn't rejecting him, she was surprisingly calm and comfortable and opening up to him, and it felt good.

Luke stepped closer to her. "Do you know how hard it was for me last night when you were talking about wanting a partner, wanting someone to pick up the slack?"

"Why was that hard?" she asked.

"Because it was killing me not to just raise my hand and volunteer to be that partner... to be the one to take care of you like that," he told her. "Do you know how long I've wanted that? I would've ended my marriage for you in a _second_, Lorelai. Yeah, it ended anyway, but if at any point during it there was _ever_ a chance for me and you, I would've dropped everything in a heartbeat." He shrugged and added, "Not sure what that says about me, kind of makes me seem like a jerk, but..."

"You said it already... you settled for something, but it wasn't what you really wanted," Lorelai said softly.

"_You're_ what I really wanted," Luke told her. "What I _still _want. It's always been you, Lorelai." The more he talked to her, the freer he felt to just show her how much he cared for her, to make it clear that he'd been waiting for her for a long time. That this wasn't a new feeling he had, it wasn't related to alcohol or his broken marriage.

Lorelai had to take a few deep breaths... her head was spinning. This was not a situation she thought she'd be in today, but there she was, right smack in the middle of it.

Luke was in front of her being amazing and heartfelt and she was starting to feel things for him that she hadn't felt before. Something had been set off inside of her and she suddenly saw him as an eligible bachelor and not just as a friend. It happened so fast. One minute, she was eating pizza with her pal on the couch, and now she was noticing his beautiful eyes and his strong arms, and oh, my God, his body in the t-shirt and sweats?! She wanted to fan herself.

That was in addition to the wonderful things she had already seen in him for years. The kindness, the caring, the support. Hell, he just gave her a ton of money because he believed in her and wanted her to achieve her dream. She still couldn't believe he had done that so easily, like there was no hesitation about helping her. There was no doubt in her mind that he cared for her.

But she was also thinking about how just a few hours ago they were both in other relationships and that maybe things were moving too fast. Plus, the biggest concern of all... what if they dated and it didn't work out? What would that mean for their friendship?

Luke had been standing patiently in front of her, watching her pensive face, noticing how she sucked in her bottom lip when she was thinking hard. He didn't know what was going through her mind, and was anxious to find out.

Lorelai closed her eyes for a moment and swallowed hard. She opened her eyes, and his blue eyes were staring back at her, tender and hopeful and sexy.

Luke exhaled a deep breath. "I gotta tell ya, I don't know where your head is at right now, and it's kind of killing me. You're not running out of here, which is good, but you're also not saying anything, which is very odd for you, so... "

Lorelai smiled. "Sorry. This is just... you know... a big deal."

Luke nodded in agreement. "I know."

"You're my friend, Luke," she said. "And you're supportive and caring and kind, and I need you in my life... I _want_ you in my life. Like, forever."

Luke raised an eyebrow. He wasn't completely sure what that meant. "Okayyyy."

"But what if we date and then it doesn't work out? I lose my supportive, caring, friend, and that would kill me, Luke."

"You're not gonna lose me."

"But you can't predict the future," Lorelai told him. "You don't know what might happen. A month from now or a year from now or 5 years from now, we could end up having some huge fight and then we never talk to each other again."

"Yeah, well, that could happen as friends, too," Luke pointed out. "Fights happen to everyone, not just couples."

Lorelai conceded to that with a nod. "I guess that's true."

He stepped up to her and put his hands on her hips, and Lorelai felt a shiver rush through her body. She locked her gaze with Luke's, who asked her, "Is that okay?"

Lorelai nodded, and she rested her hands on his sides. She squeezed the fabric of his t-shirt in her fingers and looked up into his eyes.

"You said it yourself before, Lorelai," Luke said. "Isn't it better to _try_ than to always wonder if it could've been something special?"

Lorelai didn't respond because suddenly her heart was racing and she was breathing faster and her body was starting to quiver with excitement. She moved one hand from his shirt up to his face, and rested her palm against his cheek as she leaned in to kiss him.

They shared a soft, gentle kiss that was more electrifying than they both expected. They separated and stared at each other for a moment, and then both leaned in for a second kiss. Their lips parted and the kiss deepened with passion. As their arms wrapped around each other, she let out a soft moan that sent a shudder through his body. He'd made that moan happen, she was reacting to him, and God, he loved how that felt.

When the second kiss finally broke, they were both panting for breath, and Luke's hands lingered at her waist. He didn't want to let her go, he didn't want to stop touching her.

"Oh, my God," Lorelai breathed out before shaking her head in disbelief. "My head is spinning."

"Is that good or bad?" he asked her.

Lorelai nodded encouragingly. "Oh, it's good. It's very good."

Luke smiled. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this happy, this relieved, this excited. His head was spinning, too.

"But this is still crazy," she added. "We were both seeing other people a few hours ago."

"People we didn't belong with," he replied, and then he gestured from him to her. "But this... this feels right. I feel it. Don't you feel it?"

Lorelai gave him a little nod, admitting, "Yeah. I feel it." She leaned in to kiss him again, and then she smiled against his lips. "You're a good kisser."

Luke smiled. "You, too."

Lorelai took a step back from him, and then reached for the hem of her shirt. She pulled it up over her head, and although she still had a tank top on underneath, Luke's eyes were wide as if she was standing there naked. This wasn't an expectation he had for tonight - he thought kissing would be the highlight.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"What do you think I'm doing?" she replied, and she tossed her shirt onto the bed behind him.

Luke glanced at the bed, and then back at her. "Are you sure?"

"Do you have condoms?" Lorelai asked.

"Yes."

"Then I'm sure."

Luke took her hand and pulled her closer, and they made their way onto the bed. They kissed and touched and kissed some more. She pulled off his shirt, and then his pants, and he couldn't even describe the exhilarated feeling rushing through his veins. He hadn't felt anything like it before, it was overwhelming.

So overwhelming that when he started to undress her, he became unusually clumsy. He struggled with her bra, fumbled with her belt, had trouble pulling her tight jeans down her legs. She thought it was cute, and was smiling as she watched him.

Soon they were both naked, and after he'd put on protection, he leaned over her body. "Sorry," he said apologetically.

"You're nervous," Lorelai observed, and she gently ran her hands over his arms and up to his neck.

"Nervous, excited, hoping it's not a dream," Luke replied. "Lots of stuff going through my head right now."

"Don't be nervous," Lorelai replied. "And it's not a dream." She caressed his chest and abs, and smiled up at him. "You're hot, you know that?"

Luke smiled and looked down at her body. "I am nothing compared to you," he told her. "Look at you... you're perfect."

"Yes, I am," she agreed, grinning. "But so are you."

Her body was throbbing for him like she couldn't believe. She rested her hands on his waist to help guide him toward her, and soon he was inside her and they were both groaning at the connection. He held still for a few seconds, savoring this moment he'd thought about for years, and leaned down to kiss her.

When their lips separated, he started moving inside her, slowly sliding in and out. Her hands stroked up and down his back, and would roam upward to his neck and hair, and downward to caress his ass. They kissed a lot, and smiled at each other, and the familiarity and trust they had with each other made this first time so easy, so comfortable.

Luke paid attention to the noises she made, got to know what she liked based on her moans and whimpers. He watched her facial reactions, listened to her breathing, took note of everything she did. He knew when she was getting close, and he reached his hand down between her legs to help get her there.

He rubbed her clit until her climax washed over her, and he'd never witnessed anything so sexy. The sounds she made, her facial expressions, the way her body arched up off the bed - it was a beautiful sight. And the way her muscles gripped him like a vise sent him quickly toward his release.

They kissed deeply, passionately. He was still on top of her, he didn't want to move, and she didn't want to let him go. Her arms were wrapped around him, gently stroking his back as they kissed, and when their lips finally separated, she hummed contently.

Luke brushed her hair away from her face. "I can't believe that just happened."

"I can't believe I'm already thinking about the next time."

Luke smiled. "I was thinking about the next time before we even finished the first time."

Lorelai giggled and cradled her face in his hands. "This is insane." She pulled him down into a kiss, and then broke it to say, "By the way, kissing is not the only new thing I've learned today that you're good at."

Luke chuckled and finally rolled off of her. As he settled beside her on the bed, she cuddled up against him. He wrapped his arm around her, still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that Lorelai Gilmore was naked in his bed.

She was running her hand over his chest, drawing circles in his chest hair with her finger. They were both quiet for a minute until Luke kissed the top of her head. "You okay?"

"Mmhmm," she replied softly. She lifted her head to look at him. "You?"

"Doing pretty amazing, actually," Luke replied with a smirk.

Lorelai smiled and kissed him. "I'm starving. I'm gonna get some ice cream. You want some?" Then she narrowed her eyes. "Do you eat ice cream?"

"Once in awhile," Luke replied. "I try to eat frozen yogurt instead, it's healthier."

Lorelai patted his chest and sat up on the bed. "Well, you just burned a lot of calories, so you can afford some real ice cream."

Luke smiled. "Okay."

Lorelai climbed off the bed on one side, and Luke on the other. He grabbed his boxers from the floor, and went into the bathroom to get cleaned up. Lorelai pulled on her tank top as she walked over to the kitchen. She grabbed the ice cream from the freezer, found a bowl and spoon, and starting scooping some out.

Luke came out of the bathroom and stopped at the edge of the bed. Lorelai was standing at the kitchen counter with her back to him. His eyes were drawn to the curves of her ass peeking out from below the hem of her tank top.

He sat down on the edge of the bed and just watched her. She spooned ice cream into the bowl. Delicately licked some from the side of her hand. Put the ice cream carton back in the freezer. Washed her hands in the sink.

She picked up the bowl and turned around, and was surprised to see him watching her. "Oh, hey," she said. "What are you doing?"

"Watching the hottest cooking show I've ever seen."

Lorelai smirked and walked over to stand directly in front of him. He gently pushed her tank top up and kissed her stomach. "You are so beautiful," he murmured against her skin.

Lorelai ran her hand over his hair, and watched as he pushed her tank up further. He placed his lips against her breast, swirled his tongue over her nipple, and then gently sucked on it.

She closed her eyes and let out a soft groan as arousal started to brew inside of her. "God, Luke..."

He moved his mouth to her other breast, treated it as well as the first, making her groan louder.

"You may be the only man who could make me consider forgoing ice cream time," Lorelai said. "And you know how much I love ice cream time."

Luke smiled and reluctantly pulled his lips from her, and then pulled her tank top down. "Sorry. You're kind of hard to resist."

"I wasn't stopping you," Lorelai pointed out. "I was pretty fond of what you were doing there."

Luke smiled again. "Well, good, I'm gonna do it some more." He leaned up toward her face to kiss her on the lips. "After ice cream time."

"Promise?"

"Yup."

Lorelai offered him the bowl. "Hold this? I'll be right back." He took the bowl, and Lorelai went into the bathroom, quietly shutting the door behind her.

Luke put the ice cream on the nightstand, and then tidied up the bed. He stacked the pillows at the head of the bed against the headboard, giving them something to lean against, and straightened out the messy blankets. Then he grabbed the bowl and sat on the bed to wait for her.

She came out of the bathroom and sat next to him on the bed. He handed her the bowl, and she fed herself a spoonful of ice cream, and then got a little more on the spoon and offered it to him. "You're going to partake in ice cream time with me, right?"

"A little," he said, and accepted the spoon into his mouth.

Lorelai ate a few more spoonfuls, and then offered him another taste, which he accepted. Then she rested the spoon in the bowl and set it on the nightstand.

She lay on her back beside him, as close to him as she could get, with their heads resting against the pillows. Luke's hand was on her leg, gently caressing it.

"How are you feeling right now?" he asked her. "Weird, scared, nervous? Tell me."

Lorelai pondered for a moment. "Calm. I feel calm."

"Calm," Luke repeated.

"And happy."

"Happy," Luke repeated.

"And excited," she said, and before he could say anything, she held up her hand. "You don't have to repeat it."

Luke smiled. "Sorry."

"How do _you_ feel?"

"The same," Luke confirmed. "I feel the same."

Lorelai took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. "So this is a thing, now... you and me. We're a thing, we're in a relationship... Luke, Lorelai, boyfriend, girlfriend."

"Yes."

"Okay, so, there are some residual effects to this that we should talk about."

Luke narrowed his eyes, suddenly feeling nervous. "Like what?"

"Well, like, when you eventually get so angry at Taylor about something that you punch him or maybe his store window, _I'm_ the one who has to bail you out, right?" Lorelai asked. "That's the role of girlfriend?"

Luke smiled. "Yes, I think it is."

"Okay, good to know," she replied. "And when I come into the diner now, having recently discovered what your body looks like under your bulky clothes, and am so distracted imagining it that I can't figure out what to order, you have to be patient and give me time, okay?" She ran her hand down his arm. "Because it's gonna happen."

Luke snorted a laugh. "I will be patient, I promise."

"Okay, good, thank you."

"And when I'm bringing you coffee and get so distracted imagining _your_ body under _your_ clothes that I trip and accidentally spill the coffee, hopefully not on you, please be patient when I go to get you some more."

Lorelai smiled. "I'll try to wear heat resistant clothing from now on, just in case."

"Good idea."

"Okay, good, glad we got those things settled." Lorelai glanced over at the clock on the nightstand. "How is not even 9 yet? I've been here for hours."

"You came over early," Luke replied. "It was only like 5 when you got here."

"Good thing, because it gives us more time for post-ice cream activities," Lorelai said, and she ran her hand over his chest and down to the waistband of his boxers. "What do you say we get these off of you?"

She didn't have to ask him twice. He pushed his boxers off, and she took off her shirt, and they immediately started their next session. They kissed passionately as Luke maneuvered himself on top of her. He moved his mouth down her body, spending time delicately kissing each section... her neck, her breasts, her stomach, her thighs.

As he parted her legs and pressed his mouth to her center, the arousal coursing through Lorelai's body kicked into high gear, and she moaned, "Oh, Godddd, Luke."

His intention was to make her come with his mouth, and he stayed in that position until he did... kissing, licking, and nibbling while Lorelai's moans grew louder and louder. He took his time and her climax hit her hard, and Luke moved his mouth up to her breasts while waiting for her to calm down.

Their positions changed, and now he was the one on his back. She kissed down his body until her mouth was between his thighs, and she took him into her mouth. Stroked him with her hand while her lips moved up and down the length of him. Both of his hands were tangled in her hair, and he was groaning toward the ceiling. Her mouth felt better than he ever could've imagined.

She was down there for awhile, and then the condom went on, she straddled his waist, and lowered herself onto him.

She started to rock against him and he was enthralled by how sensually she moved on top of him. He couldn't take his eyes off her. As he caressed her body, he kept muttering, "So beautiful."

She rocked smoothly and slowly against him, leaning down to kiss him every so often. She loved the feel of his strong hands on her body; they were everywhere, like he was trying to touch every inch of her as much as he could.

Her body was throbbing, and she couldn't believe she was already tumbling toward another climax. When Luke started rubbing his thumb against her clit, she was a goner. Her orgasm ripped through her with a vengeance, and she collapsed tiredly on top of him. She couldn't remember the last time she'd hit her peak so many times in such a short time.

She moved off of him to lie on her back, and he got on top of her, re-entered her in one stroke, and began thrusting into her. His pace was faster this time, harder, and it was making her moan like crazy. Her legs wrapped around him and he slammed into her until he found his release.

He rolled off of her onto his back, and his chest was heaving. So was hers, and they were both sweaty and exhausted.

She looked over at him, smiling through her heavy panting. "Jesus. Dating you might kill me."

Luke let out a laugh. "Hey, we all gotta go sometime, right?"

Lorelai smiled at his response. "Good point, it's not a bad way to kick the bucket."

He patted his chest. "Come here." She moved in closer to him and rested her head against his chest. He wrapped both arms around her. "You good?"

"I'm fantastic," she replied, and then she rested her chin on his chest so she could look at his face. "I gotta be honest with you, me and you in bed together definitely wasn't on my top 100 list of things I'd thought would happen today."

"Yeah, tell me about it," Luke replied, smiling. "Me, either."

"But this is gonna be good, you and me, you know? I mean, we've got the friendship background, we already emotionally support each other, and we sure as hell have the physical chemistry down... "

"Do we ever," he replied, kissing her head.

"I feel like as long as you don't try to force me into some sort of crazy healthy eating lifestyle, this is gonna be pretty amazing. Do you agree?"

"I agree," Luke said. "We just have to stick to the basics, you know? Honesty, communication, all that stuff that good relationships have."

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah. We can do that. We got this, no problem."

Luke smiled, and leaned in to kiss her. "We got this."

Lorelai glanced over toward the kitchen. "Now I feel like more pizza."

Luke smirked. "You really never stop eating, do you?"

"Nope. Especially not when someone's draining my energy every half hour."

Luke traced a finger up and down the side of her body. "Can you blame me when it feels _that_ mind-blowing?"

Lorelai smirked. "Don't even think about draining it again until I get some carbs in me."

Luke raised an eyebrow. "You're up for another round, really?"

Lorelai moved to lie horizontal on top of him. She kissed him deeply as his hands slid down her back and squeezed her cheeks. She pulled back from the kiss and said, "Dude, just so you know, you're not getting _any_ sleep tonight, so I'd recommend you also get some more carbs in you."

Luke grinned and nodded toward the kitchen, declaring, "Pizza time."

. . . . .

. . . . .

**Author's Note: **Thanks for reading!


End file.
